I ll just come clean right away: I m a fan of the H. Moser & Cie. Endeavour, but I m not a fan of perpetual calendars. That might change, though, after taking a look at what Edouard Meylan and his team just brought to the table. Because this is a rather interesting-looking perpetual calendar, one without the usual array of sub-dials and cut-out windows. While that s a trick we ve seen from Moser before, what we haven t seen before is the use of dark gray tantalum. And that s exactly the material that was used for this Endeavour s beautifully shaped case. It creates the perfect context for that textured fume blue enamel dial to jump right out at you.If I had the money for it, I d definite...

Seiko did something pretty cool in 2022 by releasing the NH34 (4R34) GMT movement and the Seiko 5 Sports GMT collection. While some complain that Seiko is losing its own game (whatever that means), others applaud the brand for what it dared to do - make GMT watches more affordable and make a good movement accessible to all. Although the timing of the release of numerous NH34-powered GMT watches from microbrands seems conspicuous, it isnt. Micro and independent brands know what brands are up to before we do. I had heard of the NH34 movement months before Seiko announced it. This means that brands had plenty of time to come up with their own affordable GMT watches, like Nodus and the Sector GM...

Recently, my best watch friend that lives in my area sent me a link to a sales listing for a Cartier Tank Divan. I was thinking of picking up a Tank Divan since they are the oddball ones that are currently undervalued relative to other Tanks, even though they re rarer. Plus, I think they are actually kind of unique/cool. Here s the one I m looking at. Admittedly, the model name didn t instantly ring a bell, so I clicked the link, saw the picture, and said, Ugh, that one…Now, I know this friend of mine likes oddball watches. My Submariner almost bores him to death. But I also love my share of less obvious weirdos, so I appreciate his approach, I really do. I m just not so sure that thi...

Another Friday, another Top 5! In this series, we take one classic watch and choose our five favorite references ever produced. Four of these references will be based on the historical importance of the specific watch in the grand scheme of things. Though there may be some overlap, its not a question of which references are the most collectible or of the highest value on the market. The fifth pick is our Fratello favorite that takes the current market price and collectability into account, potentially making it a sleeper reference. As such, the last pick could be described as our wild card. In this new installment of the series, we will look at the Zenith El Primero. What are the top five re...

Without any press release or announcement, this Tissot PRX Powermatic 80 Ice Blue entered the collection. It features a very fresh-looking blue dial inside the immensely popular PRX watch.Tiffany Blue? No, ice blue!Okay, I ve never bought anything from Tiffany (not on purpose, though), but despite that, I can t stand the robin s-egg blue shade anymore. It s a color I would never have considered before the hype, and it s one that I still would not consider today. It was a nice fun and fresh color when came out with it in 2020, and it raised some eyebrows when Patek Philippe used the official Tiffany color in 2021. But from that moment onwards, with every other watch that reeked of Tiffany Bl...

It s funny how your watch budget pulls your focus toward specific watches. I tend to pay a lot more attention to watches below the $10,000 mark simply because that s just what I m comfortable spending on a watch. So automatically, watches in that price range will pique my interest more than the ones above $10,000. But just like everybody else, I too have dreams. Of course, I read and write about many watches that are above my budget. Every once in a while, one of those watches plants itself in my memory. And today, I can finally come back to those watches and tell you about my dreams!Both Thomas, who kicked this series off, and RJ went completely crazy with their infinite cash. I think I ll ...

Rumors about a new IWC Ingenieur started last year during Watches and Wonders 2022. But even before that, the Ingenieur was on peoples minds. It was on my mind anyway. During an IWC event back in 2021, I asked the brands CEO Chris Grainger-Herr if there were any plans to reintroduce a steel sports watch with an integrated bracelet in the style of the Gerald Genta-designed Ingenieur SL 1832 Jumbo. He answered that a Portugieser with a new steel bracelet that mimics an integrated look would do the job just fine for the time being. This year, during Watches and Wonders 2023, we have the feeling that IWC will most probably launch a new Ingenieur. But what will it look like?I know for sure that i...

There is something to any vintage watch, but the Breitling AVI ref. 765 Lucy Digital has it all. And I mean it. The size, the design, the movement, the twist, the originality, the legibility… and I could go on. It s the ultimate vintage watch to own.The analog Breitling AVI ref. 765 is quite a popular watch and not so easy to come by. No wonder it became the role model for a re-edition three years ago. Equally, it was no surprise that the release was quite a success. The 15-minute totalizer with lumed indexes is so unique, and the super-cute, tiny syringe hand is a detail that will make you melt.Staying cool and waiting for a 765 AVI Lucy DigitalDespite everything I just said, I never ...

Did you know that Swatch turns 40 years old next week? On March 1st, 1983, Swatch introduced its first collection of 12 watches in Zrich, Switzerland. And, as they say, the rest is history. To celebrate the great history of Swatch, we will bring you a series of articles dedicated to this special brand. From its history to the standout models and spectacular promotional campaigns, Swatch is and always has been a unique brand. In this first article of many, we dive into the great history of Swatch. How did it get started, and what have been some of the most remarkable achievements? It s time to kick off Swatch month with a look back at how it all began!Owning a Swatch… It was a special ...

NOMOSs Tangente neomatik is a classic timepiece that never gets old. And the Glashtte-based watchmaker knows it. Here comes a new take on it that amalgamates the brands winning ingredients. From the minimalist aesthetic to the in-house automatic movement, the latest Tangente neomatik is instantly recognizable in a NOMOS style. It revisits one of the brands favorite deep blue colors in a galvanized and sunburst finish. The new model comes in two case diameters of 35 and 38.5 millimeters.Iconic designsSince its founding in 1990, NOMOS has developed a reputation for crafting high-quality and effortlessly wearable watches with an incredibly consistent design language. The brand s relentless foc...

When our managing editor Nacho handed me this assignment, my first response was, Pick for 500 euros is an easy one: Seiko. It could not have been a quicker cognitive connection than $500 budget nice watch = Seiko. But further consideration found me asking myself why? Why was Seiko the obvious choice? Has it become the autopilot answer to this question? And, more importantly, in 2023, is it still a valid response? These follow-up questions led me down a rabbit hole and to my eventual choice, the Orient Mako.I love my Seiko watches, and it truly is an approachable watch brand for the masses. But my reference point for entry into Seiko was more than 20 years ago. The Seiko 5 Sports of today i...

I don t know about you, but I really enjoy reading through the watch box stories from your fellow readers about their collections (or parts of them, at least). Last week, we featured Wesley s impressive collection (click here), and today, Adrien will share a part of his. Adrien collects watches with his wife, who has been a watch collector longer than he has. It s always great to see that women enjoy this hobby as well!After we share all the stories, we will raffle off a Peli case and a few other accessories among the contributors. So far, Ive seen some very interesting contributions, and I am excited to share them here on Fratello in the coming days and weeks. Without further ado, heres the...

Lex, Nacho, and RJ talk about Swatch and its upcoming 40th birthday! One of the coolest brands of the 1980s celebrates four decades of amazing and colorful watches. Last year put Swatch back on the horological map with the MoonSwatch, but there s so much more to the brand that saved the entire Swiss watch industry in the 1980s. In this episode, Lex, Nacho, and RJ show the plastic watch a lot of love, not only for the MoonSwatch but also for many other Swatch variations.This podcast player is blocked because you did not accept marketing cookies. Change cookie settings Wrist checkOnly RJ came prepared with his newly acquired Swatch Blue Segment from 1992. This is a watch he had as a teenag...

Everybody loves the underdog. Now, I could claim that I bought my 1972 King Seiko 5626-7111 because I prefer the underdog over the top dog called Grand Seiko. I wont. I will tell you exactly why and how I bought my vintage King Seiko.You probably know that in the 1960s, Seiko was producing watches in two different factories that competed against one another to create the best wristwatches possible. In the original Suwa Seikosha factory, the first Grand Seiko was built and released in 1960. In the Daini Seikosha plant, King Seiko was developed and released in 1963. The Suwa factory eventually won the? battle between the two, and thus, GS lived on, and KS was dismissed in 1975. What both GS an...

Longines has a long-standing history when it comes to aviation, and todays introduction is a tribute to one of the brand s milestone watches from the past - the Longines Majetek reference 3582 from 1935. Today, we have a look at the new Longines Majetek, which has the same rotatable luminous triangle on the dial as the original.Longines Majetek 1935Longines made the original watch upon commission from the Czechoslovak Air Force, who requested a rotating bezel with a triangular marker. Pilots could use this to mark a starting time, a crucial feature for aviators. Furthermore, it was luminous to allow proper visibility in low-light conditions.Longines registered the design on April 1st, 1935 a...

The Quartz Crisis was a difficult time for the watch industry. The advent of quartz watches led to a significant upheaval of the established order. I m certain that we are all well-versed in the story and chain of events that led to the demise of many well-known watch brands of the time. One such brand was Montres Airain, which has returned with two new Type 20 watches for preorder.Montres Airain was founded in 1934 by the Dodane family, a well-known house in French watchmaking since the mid-1800s. Along with the Dodane brand, Airain became one of the selected suppliers of the Type 20 watch for the French Army in the 1950s and 1960s. Type 20 refers to a specification for pilots chronographs...

Last month s Fratello REM strap for the Speedmaster (the Lunar Lander) was a huge success and received an incredible amount of interest. Today, we introduce to you our second collaboration, which is based on the Apollo 15 mission. However, you don t need a Speedmaster Apollo 15 limited-edition watch. This strap will fit any Moonwatch with a 20mm lug spacing. We also took your feedback on the quick-release pins seriously and asked REM to make it happen for this and the upcoming Speedmaster straps for 2023. As we wrote for our January release, there will be a Fratello REM strap for the Speedmaster every month this year. This will include (later on) a 19mm version for the straight-lug model...

Ah, Christopher Ward - the British brand that Fratello has written more than 15 articles about, highlighting the brands unbeatable quality/value ratio. Each article highlighted something good that the brand did, and it seems the team behind it is not about to stop. Each new release seems to be more unique, intriguing, and better specced than the previous one. Either that or it espouses a different type of horological experience - smaller and better cases, new dial layouts, or higher value. In that vein, the latest of the latest from Christopher Ward will please those who are into smaller watches. And a different type of adventure. Indeed, the Dune collections major highlight for me is the 38...

Almost all watch enthusiasts out there have their own history with Seiko. For many, a Seiko was even their first watch or at least their first diver. Others might be more into vintage Seiko. And what we noticed in the Fratello office is that almost every single one of us owns one Seiko watch or more. That s why we decided to start this new series on our very own Seiko stories. We d like to share with you where our love for Seiko comes from and what kind of role the brand plays in our current collections.My history with Seiko started when I was still in high school. I was working Thursday evenings and weekends at a Tommy Hilfiger store in Amsterdam at the time, mainly to finance my nights out...

It s been only a few weeks since I reviewed the Casio G-Shock GM-2100C Utility Series. I was highly impressed by the presence of the brand s different CasiOak models in combination with the straps that they come on. The versatility in the look of the four watches was a nice surprise, and seeing and wearing the full steel-colored GM-B2100D-1AER made me want one. But we might have a new contender on the other end of the spectrum. The new full-metal G-Shock CasiOak GM-B2100GD in yellow gold tone is quite the statement. Over the top? Most certainly not!I ve said this many times, but I ll gladly repeat it: there s something magical about the combination of black and gold. And sure, it would be de...